The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 86: Legacy (2)

When it comes to yokai spells, they are similar to black magic wielded by sorcerers.

Since they unleash malevolent effects, they also come with fatal weaknesses. Once cast, they leave a trace that cannot be erased unless it's by holy magic.

Of course, if a wide-scale curse is used to target a large group, identifying the starting point is difficult, but that wasn’t the case this time.

There was an obvious starting point. The dead deer beastfolk, Bailon, before the curse spread rampantly.

According to Seira’s information, the royal medical institute had not cremated the body but was keeping it for examination, as he was the first victim of the curse and much needed to be investigated.

Thus, Lin headed to the royal medical institute. She did not bring Karamir.

If she were with him, her actions would be restricted, and unlike Lin, his fragile body made him highly susceptible to the curse.

Though Lin was uneasy about being separated from Karamir, there was no choice.

Lin infiltrated the royal medical institute, quickly discovering a heavily guarded room. Canine beastfolk guards in armor stood on watch.

But infiltration was nothing for Lin. She had worked harder on her transformation and stealth techniques than any other magic.

Transformation magic to suit Karamir's taste. Stealth magic to secretly watch him after growing up, now that he no longer bathed with her.

She was confident that no one in the world was better at these two techniques.

Sigh.

Reading Lin’s perverted thoughts, the Gumiho let out a deep sigh from the bottom of her chest. While the Gumiho may be optimized for seducing humans, it was still the noble Gumiho.

If it were for sucking out energy, that would be understandable, but doing all of this just to please a mere human? It was an unsettling thought.

Lin, who had been observing the situation from the ceiling, softly landed. The guards widened their eyes and pointed their spears at the outsider who had fallen from the sky.

"Who goes there?!"

"Quiet. You’re hurting Lin’s ears."

"Yes, ma’am!"

The guards instantly obeyed Lin’s command and lowered their spears. Their eyes were glazed over.

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Lin had enchanted them.

Though she was confident in her transformation and stealth, there was nothing like illusion magic to enter a secret room unnoticed.

“Open the door.”

A guard in armor fumbled for the key and unlocked the door.

“Wait here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Effortlessly passing the guards, Lin was able to locate Bailon’s quarantined body.

As reported beforehand, the corpse appeared blackened, as if decayed. It was the mark of the curse. A trace of lingering yokai magic also remained, though in very small amounts.

For an ordinary person, it would have gone unnoticed, but for another yokai, and with Lin’s Gumiho Sun Shadow Eye, it was easy to discern.

Lin examined Bailon with her Sun Shadow Eye.

Fragments of fate emerged. The number of fragments tied to Bailon was far fewer compared to Karamir’s, almost countable by sight.

Though the Gumiho could twist fate, it had no influence over the dead.

Among the fragments scattered in the air, Lin focused her gaze on one tainted with black.

Then, she could see the process that had driven Bailon to his death, the trajectory of fate.

An alleyway. An encounter with a rat beastfolk who appeared abnormal.

From that moment, Bailon’s fate had become clouded.

This one. He wasn’t infected; he was cursed.

The host had been found.

The next course of action was clear.

The city’s clock tower.

Standing on its pointed spire, Lin looked down over the city.

Based on the information she had just gathered, she needed to find the rat beastfolk, but it wasn’t easy to spot. The curse spread like a web across the entire city, obstructing her efforts.

Even though the Gumiho’s Sun Shadow Eye could detect only what she sought, Lin was still inexperienced with its use. The Gumiho provided her with additional guidance.

Lin moved her fingers. She formed two “fox hands,” by pressing her middle and ring fingers to her thumb.

Then, she crossed her left pinky with her right index finger, and her left index finger with her right pinky. She left the remaining fingers free, creating a hole in the center.

The Fox Window.

Looking through the Fox Window, Lin began to see what she was searching for. The thread of fate connecting Bailon and the rat beastfolk, a red string linking the two, became visible to her eyes.

The thread pointed downward, towards the city’s underground.

Lin immediately searched for a way underground.

Below, she found the dwelling of rat beastfolk, along with mole beastfolk and others. Though not as expansive as the surface, the underground was still large enough.

However, the moment she entered the underground tunnel, there was no longer any need for the Sun Shadow Eye. The stench of decay naturally wrinkled her nose.

Following the smell, Lin soon found the rat beastfolk from Bailon’s fate.

The host had long been abandoned by her own kind, rotting away in a dirt mound. Her body was in such a state that it would be no surprise if she died at any moment, yet she lived.

The Corrupted Monk had taken extra measures to ensure she could continue spreading the curse, even in this decrepit state. Even now, ominous waves of energy were spreading from her.

Lin, blocking the curse’s energy with her yokai magic, examined the rat beastfolk closely.

“If I remove the curse, can she be saved?”

Her body’s rotting; lifting the curse won’t save her. Why? Do you want to save her?

“It’s because of Lin that this happened.”

The Gumiho snorted.

Even if you save her, do you think she’d thank you? Not a chance. If anything, she’ll blame you for what happened.

Lin had experienced this before. She once saved an adventurer in peril, only to be blamed for the misfortune instead.

As Lin fell deep into thought, the Gumiho began to speak inside her mind.

Since ancient times, the Gumiho has had the qualities of a king. The king of yokai who looks only upward, never to the sides or below.

“Never look back?”

A king always stands alone. To rule, you must forget how to stand beside someone or sacrifice for others. You simply rise and look down upon the world.

The Gumiho, now within Lin, could peer deeply into her inner thoughts.

Loneliness.

Distrust.

These two emotions consumed most of her.

Perhaps it was the Gumiho’s influence, or maybe it was because Lin had lived such a life herself. Whatever it was, Lin was remarkably similar to the Gumiho.

If she could dig into that, perhaps she could raise Lin into a Gumiho just like her...

“What nonsense are you spouting? Lin already has a master.”

Huh?

“And while not as important as Master, there's Seira too. Don’t lump Lin together with you.”

...

Despite the Gumiho’s sweet whispers, Lin didn’t budge. The Gumiho raised an eyebrow in surprise at the unexpected reaction.

Was it because Lin, being another Gumiho, had a natural immunity to enchantment?

That might be part of it, but the Gumiho sensed something else within Lin.

An overwhelming trust, unshakable by any sweet words. A belief that her master would never betray her.

In the face of that fortress-like conviction, the Gumiho’s temptations were nothing more than hot air.

I see~ My mistake. I forgot you had such a splendid master~

“Hmph. As long as you know.”

It seemed there would be no shaking Lin with ordinary methods. If so, a change in tactics was necessary.

Then let’s hurry and catch the Corrupted Monk so your wonderful master can praise you!

“Master told me to return once I found a clue.”

That’s when you surprise him by secretly catching the monk. Think of it as a surprise gift.

Lin considered it.

It seemed like a convincing idea.

It would be a chance to show how much she had grown.

“Alright.”

Lin nodded.

She traced the fate thread of the rat beastfolk.

The Corrupted Monk encountered her in a dark alley. When he used his staff to cast the spell, her fate, like Bailon’s, was instantly engulfed in darkness.

Lin quickly pinpointed the Corrupted Monk’s location.

He wasn’t far.

The underground sewers of Bestia.

The Corrupted Monk knelt down and slowly extended his hand towards the flowing water. From his fingertips submerged in the water, black miasma spread out like a living thing.

The once clear underground water began to darken.

The curse, spread from the rat beastfolk, had been effective. It had permeated all of Bestia, and in its incubation phase, those infected unknowingly carried the curse to other cities and kingdoms.

But that alone wasn’t enough. Due to their swift response, it hadn’t penetrated deeply enough, so another method was needed.

Unlike yokai, who could survive on energy alone, living beings could not live without water. His plan was to contaminate it. This way, the curse would even reach Bestia’s royal palace.

Absorbing the energy of weakened beastfolk, along with the power of the Gumiho... would be more than enough for him to evolve into a higher being.

A satisfied smile spread across the Corrupted Monk’s face as he looked into the pitch-black water.

Splash, splash.

At that moment, he heard footsteps echoing through the wet sewers. The Corrupted Monk turned his head and saw a young fox girl emerging from the darkness.

Her pink hair was tied into two pigtails. One of her heterochromatic eyes gleamed gold, the other blue, unmistakable signs of a Gumiho.

But as soon as he saw the six tails swaying behind her, a nervous twitch distorted the Corrupted Monk’s lips. He lowered his head to conceal his face.

“I am but dust drifting in the wind. I am honored to stand in the presence of the mighty Gumiho.”

“What’s with that speech?”

He’s a lowly creature in the presence of the yokai king, the Gumiho. Of course, he’d act like that. It’s your surroundings that are strange.

Unable to see or sense the Gumiho, the Corrupted Monk assumed Lin was talking to herself. Unbothered, he continued.

“I had intended to seek you out myself, but I am humbled that you have come to me instead.”

“Spreading such wicked energy everywhere and you’re surprised I found you? You might as well have sent out an invitation.”

Finding the Corrupted Monk had been a simple task.

There was no need to chase fate’s trail.

The rat beastfolk, directly cursed by him, reeked of concentrated malevolent energy. The same foul stench was seeping from the sewers.

“However, Gumiho, from what my humble eyes can see, you do not yet appear to be in your complete form.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Just the majesty of a six-tailed fox is terrifying to one such as I, yet I fear you may have come here too soon, before your full power is realized.”

Easily interpreted, it meant that a mere six-tailed fox was overestimating herself by coming here. Drunk on a glorious past she had barely glimpsed, she was acting as if she were already the Gumiho.

But that aligned perfectly with the Corrupted Monk’s true intentions. He slammed his rusted staff onto the ground.

Clang, clang~!

The ring and bells attached to the staff echoed, and the talismans he had placed all over the sewers began to glow with a sinister purple light.

Threads stretched and intertwined, crawling like snakes along the walls and ceiling, forming a massive net that enveloped the underground.

An inescapable barrier preventing both escape and interference from outside.

The Corrupted Monk muttered under his breath.

“Cheonlajimang.”

As Lin looked around at the net that had instantly surrounded her, she asked, “What’s Cheonlajimang?”

Ah, that? It means a trashy net that catches nothing and breaks easily, not even worth catching an ant.

The Gumiho could see it clearly.

What would happen to this “Cheonlajimang.”

Now, enough worrying about that trash. Let’s continue our lesson. It seems we have a suitable opponent.

The Gumiho placed a hand on Lin’s shoulder, curling her lips into a smile.

The sight was as if the ghostly Yokai King were preparing to fight in Lin’s place.